Morton head into Saturday’s Championship clash at Cappielow with a threadbare first-team squad and will turn once more to academy talent against Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Ian Murray’s side sit eighth in the table after a difficult campaign and have conceded 52 goals - 16 more than they have scored - but the Ton boss insists morale remains high despite the off-field challenges.
League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 8th in Championship, 38 pts, 8W-14D-14L from 36 games, recent form DLDLL.
Why the youngsters are back in the frame
Murray’s injury list has shortened since last weekend’s 3-0 loss at St Johnstone, but the squad is still missing several first-team regulars. Two 15-year-olds were introduced late at McDiarmid Park and Murray confirmed the door remains open for more academy players this weekend. “We’ll get a couple of guys back, but we’ve still got quite a few missing,” he told the Greenock Telegraph. “We’re not quite as depleted as last weekend.”
Dean Black and Louie Murphy are back in the squad, while Joey O’Toole’s registration is now complete. Murray also revealed he will recall one or two from last week’s matchday group. The manager stressed the club’s commitment to youth development even when results are hard to come by.
Co-operation talks and Carse’s trial
Morton continue to pursue a co-operation agreement despite the long-rumoured link with Rangers failing to materialise. Murray remains hopeful of signing MacKenzie Carse, who has spent five weeks on trial at Cappielow. The Ton operate on the Championship’s smallest budget, and Murray admitted a permanent deal may not be possible right now.
“At the moment we’re just trying to bring everybody in that we can within our finances,” Murray explained. “There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so we go with what we’ve got.” He praised Carse’s attitude - “trained every single day” - and acknowledged the player’s market value may exceed Morton’s offer. “If we don’t get him, somebody else will,” Murray said. “They’ll be getting a really good player, but also a really good person.”
Financial transparency and supporter trust
One week ago Morton released a series of videos outlining the club’s financial position and the challenges facing Murray as he tries to build a competitive squad. The manager believes the increased openness has helped supporters understand the bigger picture.
“I don’t have any complaints about them being disgruntled beforehand because they didn’t know the full picture,” Murray said. “It was frustrating for me as much as it was for them because I couldn’t say too much about it.” He added that fans can now see the players “giving absolutely everything, regardless of what we have and what we don’t have.”
Recent form (last 5): 0W-3D-2L (DDLLD, most recent first).
